“Just earlier we were talking about how it's best for you to stay away from him, and now you're going on a date!” Chanyeol said as he watched Sehun put on a nicer shirt than what he was wearing when he received the call, and his friend clicked his tongue. Now wasn't the time for Chanyeol's childish antics and comments.
“First off, it's not a date. And second, I want to hear what he has to say,” Sehun had a faint idea of what that could be, but he couldn't resist it - Jongin was like his mythological siren, calling and luring Sehun in with only his voice.
“You know what he's going to say! He's going to ask that you get back together, and you'll say yes because you can never say no to him,” In a way, it sounded like Chanyeol was the one Sehun would be turning his back on. It was a little funny, although annoying, and Sehun turned to him while pressing his lips together to not give Chanyeol a slap against the head.
“I'm not going to let anything like that happen. I'm not a kid, okay? I know we shouldn't be meeting, but that's why I'll keep it short. I just want to know what he wants,” Sehun explained like he was talking to a 5th grader, then put on a coat.
“I know you think I can't handle it, but I can. I 𝑐𝑎𝑛 say no to him,” Whether this was true or not, both men weren't sure.
“Fine,” Chanyeol shook his head and sighed, “at least call me and let me know how it goes. I'll bring beers later on,”

While Sehun was on the way to the mentioned café, he glanced out the window at all the cars that whizzed past him - it was relaxing to be left alone, especially when he had a lot to think about. He liked Chanyeol (they were very close friends, after all) but he usually gave nonsensical advice and often gave Sehun the urge to chokeslam him into the floor.

He wondered why Jongin wanted to see him. A bit of a silly thought considering he knew it was probably to try making up, but what would happen if Sehun would say no? Chanyeol was still right, even if he was an idiot in going about it, about Sehun moving on. The tabloids had already received news of Jongin's arranged marriage to the mystery groom, and everyone was eating the news up like it was breakfast, lunch and dinner. At this point, there was no going back, and Sehun knew that. Jongin, however, probably didn't.
It was too late to back out of the wedding, and Sehun wouldn't put his family's image at risk by having an affair; Jongin rolling over for his mother and father's wishes proved where his loyalties really were, and it wasn't towards Sehun. Having this time away from Jongin (albeit a very short time) gave Sehun time to think, and he was slowly detaching himself from his ex. It was difficult keeping himself busy so that he wouldn't call Jongin just to hear his voice, but it was a work in progress, and he was doing well for the most part.

He arrived at the café at just past 10:30 AM; the time on his watch said 10:36 AM.

He noticed Jongin before the other one noticed him; he was carefully sipping his coffee, seeming more despondent with each passing second. Maybe he thought Sehun wouldn't pitch.
He looked pretty in the sunlight, as always, when the yellow rays caressed his hands or exposed forearms, and Sehun had to gulp down the butterflies that threatened to run him over.

Jongin glanced up as he saw the chair in front of him move out, and he bit his lip as he saw Sehun sit down. His hair was perfect like always, his clothes spotless - not even one crease could be seen.

“You came,” He whispered in awe. His heart had conflicted emotions spiraling inside of it - excitement, apprehension, and sadness for the most part. He couldn't forget their argument no matter how hard he tried. He was glad to see Sehun here, but he still felt a sense of uneasiness; where would they go from here?

Sehun smiled sheepishly, then asked the waitress for a normal black coffee. During this time, Jongin caught his breath and got his thoughts in order. This wasn't the time to be giggling and whispering like an idiot in love.

“I just wanted to see you,” Jongin murmured when they were alone again, “I miss you,”
Sehun suppressed a grimace.
“Yeah?” Was all he said. He bit his tongue to not say he missed Jongin too.
“I saw that your wedding has been confirmed in the news. It's really happening, huh?” He swiftly changed the subject, and Jongin looked down at his iced coffee that was halfway finished.
“I guess so...I still don't know who he is,” Jongin laughed slightly and sadly, holding his cup tighter to avoid reaching out to hold Sehun's hand.
“I'm sure your parents have picked someone good for you,” Sehun said, thanking the waitress when his coffee came. He was glad he had something to keep his mouth busy now so he wouldn't accidentally say things that would get them into a sticky situation.
“That's all you have to say about it?” Jongin whispered afterwards, and Sehun looked up at him as he sipped his strong and hot coffee. He could see the hope slowly fading from Jongin's eyes, that usual glitter fluttering away. This time, Sehun had to grimace.
“What do you expect me to say?” He asked as he placed his cup down with a gentle 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘! before he met Jongin's gaze again, “you know there's nothing more for us, and you've made your choice about who you want to be around,”
“I can't just turn my back on my family!” Jongin hissed, then huffed as he immediately calmed down. He didn't want another fight; his heart really wouldn't take it.
“But you can turn your back on me without a second thought?” Sehun's voice was soft now, hurt, “how do you think I'm supposed to feel seeing you throw me away like I haven't loved you for so long?”
“I'm sorry...” Jongin whispered again, his throat aching as he fought back his tears.
“You know I love you endlessly,” He continued after a brief pause to sip some of his coffee to ground himself. Sehun took his time answering as he drank some coffee as well, the strong taste plastering itself to his tongue while burning his mouth at the same time.
“Do you? Really?” He asked, and Jongin's eyebrows dipped.
“Of course I do! I always have. There's no one I'd want to marry more than you,”
“If that were true, you wouldn't be marrying some man you don't even know!” Sehun's tone was sharp, and he leaned back in his chair with a tired sigh. All of this was giving him flashbacks to the other night.
“Why are we doing this? What are we trying to do, anyway? We're only going in circles. I love you, and you love me, but not enough for us to change anything,” Sehun shook his head, “I can't do this anymore. I won't,”
“W-what are you saying? Are you leaving me for good?” Jongin whimpered and hiccuped as he felt those inevitable tears in his eyes coming back for him, “you wouldn't do that...”
“I have to. For your sake and mine. The longer this goes on, the more it'll hurt later. Not to mention the tabloids will have a field day with their theories,” Sehun said before he gulped down the remaining sip of his coffee; he was glad it was a small cup.
“But...but...” Jongin couldn't think of a good argument to come up with, so he simply stayed silent.
“Don't call me anymore, okay? And at least try to find the good in this guy you'll marry. You've never had problems seeing the positive sides of people anyway,” Sehun said as he stood up from the table, leaving some money for the two coffees as he went over to Jongin's side to leave a gentle kiss on his head. It gave him a stab of pain through his chest as he did it, but he couldn't let this go on anymore - it was madness to do so! This time, if Sehun received a call or message from Jongin, he wouldn't answer it. This was where things had to be cut short.

Jongin closed his eyes with a frown, wishing this was all some sort of wicked nightmare; even when he felt Sehun pull away, he still hoped this was just a cruel joke, his heart thumping hard in his chest. Maybe, when he opened his eyes, everything would be okay then! Maybe all of this would just be a figment of his imagination...

However, when he opened his eyes, Sehun was gone.

Jongin did as he was told, and avoided all contact with Sehun. It was one of the hardest things he had to do (counting those math assignments he despised), but he kept himself busy by trying to find out which Kyungsoo he was supposed to be marrying via the internet. There were so many, it took him four days of constant searching just to get through the list he made for himself! He knew he could've asked his parents any time at their family dinners, but he needed to do something so that he wouldn't instinctively pick up the phone to call Sehun. At this point, he was sure he'd do it by accident or habit.

The days flew by, and before Jongin knew it, it was his wedding day.

He opened his eyes to the quietness that ran throughout the house; in the past few days, everyone had been rushing to get things done. The maids were helping when it came to Jongin's suit (alterations, the color, fabric, etc.), the chefs agreed to cooking for the wedding, and Mrs. Kim was on their backs about it all. She had a schedule to follow, so her voice traveled through the house whenever she scolded someone for working too slow or having to redo something. Mr. Kim only hummed and nodded whenever Mrs. Kim asked his opinion on wedding colors or venues, so he wasn't of much help, but Jongin doubted his mother was that interested in his input anyway.
Everything was moving so fast that Jongin didn't even have time to breathe - he had to try various suits on, tell how comfortable they were, then try on many pairs of shoes to find which fit each suit. In the end, his mother would decide which suit he'd wear depending on the color scheme of the wedding and how comfortable it was for her son. He also needed his hair to be done, so there were many hairstyles the stylists had experimented with on him. He had the least work (just letting people dress him up like a doll), but he still felt tired each day standing around and giving his opinions on things.

He sat up in his bed, for once not woken up by chatter or noise or the sun, but just from his own free will. He'd spent endless hours trying to find his mystery groom online, but he hadn't gotten any proper results; none of them seemed to suit his parents' ideas. He knew what his parents had in mind for a husband, and everyone Jongin had looked at didn't seem to fit the memo.

For a few seconds, there was a certain calmness, a peace that Jongin hadn't felt for a very long time - even before he got dumped - and he sighed in bliss. Maybe this marriage wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he'd even grow to like Kyungsoo, even though it was rather early to tell. Either way, Jongin wasn't so apprehensive like before. Things would work out. He was sure of it.

His moment of silence was short-lived as his mother barged into his room only a few minutes later, a smile stretching across her face, “you're awake! Good, it's time to get ready for your big day!”

“You're going to the wedding? Why would you want to do that?” Chanyeol seemed so shocked that Sehun had suddenly announced something so foolish, he forgot to pause the game he was playing on Sehun's Xbox; lately, he had been staying over at the younger one's place to “keep Sehun from doing anything stupid” as he had phrased it, but Sehun saw it more as him getting free beer and food for a while. Not to mention a chance to work on Sehun's nerves.
“I just-” He grimaced, “I just have to know he's happy,”
“You were the one that told him to stop contacting you, and now you're going to pitch up at his wedding to make sure he's okay? You do realize how crazy you sound, right? What do you think he's going to do when he sees you there?” Chanyeol shook his head, “this is a stupid idea. Just stop in your tracks right now!”
“I'm going,” Sehun shook his head; he didn't know what Jongin's reaction would be, and frankly, he didn't care either. All Sehun wanted to know was if Jongin could see himself being at least a little happy with this man, and if he could, then Sehun would leave him alone for good. He'd have to, since he wasn't sure his own future spouse would be happy to know he was keeping tabs on his ex.
“Don't go! You've lost your mind. What if Jongin stops the whole wedding because you're there? You know he won't resist you!” Chanyeol stood up now, grabbing the younger man by his shoulders to throttle him, like he could rattle some sense into him, “you're going to create a fiasco just because you're attending a wedding you weren't invited to!”
“I don't care! I'm not going to stay there for the whole thing. Just until the reception, maybe. Long enough for me to see he's okay,” Sehun tried to reason with Chanyeol - and himself - to not sound crazy. He knew he had been the one to end things (and permanently at that, twice!), but he just couldn't let Jongin get married without checking in on him one more time. He didn't plan to talk to Jongin; he only needed to see his reaction to his groom, and Sehun would know. He understood Jongin's emotions 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 well.

“You're tormenting him by telling him one thing and then doing something else,” Chanyeol said as he watched Sehun put on his suit jacket.
“He knows there isn't anything we can do now, and I'm sure he's moved on at least enough to not run straight into my arms the second he sees me. He could even hate me at this point. I don't know,” Sehun couldn't imagine something so extreme, but he hadn't spoken to Jongin in some time, nor his friends, so Sehun wasn't sure what was going on in the other one's head.
“Call me when this blows up in your face and I'll come get you. Let's just hope your future husband or wife doesn't see the articles of you when the reporters catch you sneaking in,” The elder one was playing now, but it was a real concern. There was surely a guest list and security that would be checking identities at the door - not just anyone could walk in.

That wouldn't stop Sehun though - even if he had to climb over a wall in this suit, he'd do it just to get the chance to see Jongin happy again.